Nazi Propaganda

Propaganda is The Art of Persuasion and how information, especially

of a biased or misleading nature, is used to promote a political cause
or point of view.
Hitler outlined his thoughts about the use of propaganda in his book,
Mein Kampf. He writes that Propaganda attempts to force a
doctrine on the whole people. Propaganda works on the general public
from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of
this idea. He believed Propaganda for the masses had to be simple,
and appeal to the emotions. This is what Nazi Propaganda is based
upon.
Nazi propaganda had several distinct audiences: German audiences
were continually reminded of the struggle of the Nazi Party and
Germany against foreign enemies and internal enemies, especially
Jews. Ethnic Germans in countries such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, the
Soviet Union, and the Baltic states were told that blood ties to
Germany were stronger than their allegiance to their new countries.
Potential enemies, such as France and Britain, were told that Germany
had no quarrel with the people of the country, but that their
governments were trying to start a war with Germany. And above all,
all audiences were reminded of the greatness of German cultural,
scientific, and military achievements.
Dr. Josef Goebbels was The Minister for Popular Enlightenment and
Propaganda. He advocated Racism, Anti-Semitism and Anti-
Bolshevism. As Minister of Enlightenment, Goebbels had two main
tasks: to ensure nobody in Germany could read or see anything that
was hostile or damaging to the Nazi Party, and to ensure that the
views of the Nazis were put across in the most persuasive manner
possible..
Goebbels used art, music, theatre, films, books, radio, school texts,
and the press to influence the masses. Goebbels set up a system
where all journalists, writers, and artists were required to register with
the minister. This allowed him to control the content they produced
and censor anything that could be considered anti-Nazi.
These were not the only tools Josef used. He terrorized the people so
they would be too afraid do or say anything critical of the government.
He Used the SS and the Gestapo. The SS were Hitlers personal guard;
they numbered 1,000,000 at the height of their power. The Gestapo
was the secret police in Germany. The Gestapo was created to help
solidify Nazi control by identifying and arresting anti-Nazi agents in
Germany
The SS and Gestapo hunted out those who might produce articles
defamatory to the Nazis and Hitler.
Hitler was a phenomenal speaker. To ensure that everybody could
hear Hitler speak, Goebbels organized the sale of cheap radios. These
were called the "People's Receiver." Goebbels believed that if Hitler
was to give speeches, the people should be able to hear him. Loud
speakers were put up in streets so that people could not avoid any
speeches by the Fuhrer. Cafes and other such properties were ordered
to play in public speeches by Hitler.
Albert Speer was a German architect who was Minister of Armaments
and War Production. Speer worked with Geobells to organise rallies
that were designed to show to the world the might of the Nazi nation.
In August of each year, huge rallies were held at Nuremberg. Arenas
to hold 400,000 people were built. In the famous night time displays,
150 search lights surrounded the main arena and were lit up vertically
into the night sky. Their light could be seen over 100 kilometres away
in what a British politician called a "cathedral of light".

Nuremburg, the cathedral of light
Hitler came to power in January 1933. By May 1933, the Nazi Party
felt sufficiently strong to publicly demonstrate where their beliefs
when Goebbels organised the first of the infamous book burning
episodes.Books that did not match the Nazi ideal were burnt in public.
Books by Jewish or communist authors were also burnt. Nazis had to
ransack libraries to remove the 'offending' books. The same approach
was used in films. The Nazis controlled film production so Films
released to the public concentrated on certain issues: the Jews; the
greatness of Hitler; the way of life for a true Nazi especially children,
and as World War Two approached how badly Germans who lived in
countries in Eastern Europe were treated. Leni Riefenstahl was given a
free hand in producing Nazi propaganda films. A young film producer,
she had impressed Hitler with her ability. It was Riefenstahl who made
"Triumph of Will" still considered one of the greatest propaganda
films despite its contents.
Films played an important role in Nazi Propaganda by glorifying Hitler
and the Nazi movement, and also in propagating racial anti-semitism,
portraying Jews as "subhuman" creatures infiltrating Aryan society. A
good example of this would be "The Eternal Jew" film. It vilified
the Jews by comparing the Jews in Europe to a hoard of rats. "Festival
of the Nations" and "Festival of Beauty," both depicting the 1936
Berlin Olympic Games, fostered a sense of national pride in the
successes of the Nazi regime.
Poster art was a mainstay of the Nazi propaganda effort, aimed both
at Germany itself and occupied territories. Posters were placed
everywhere people would see them. Posters had several advantages.
The visual effect, being striking, would reach the viewer easily. Posters
were also, unlike other forms of propaganda, difficult to avoid.

The Eternal Jew Poster Degenerate Negro Music Poster
Propaganda was so vital to the Nazi regime because those who had
supported the Nazis needed to be informed on how correct their
choice was with an emphasis on the strength of the party and the
leadership. Those who opposed the Nazi Party had to be convinced
that it was pointless continuing with their opposition. The fact
that Goebbels had so much power is indicative of how important Hitler
thought it was to ensure that the people were won over or intimidated
into accepting Nazi rule. As Goebbels said: The essence of
propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so
vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape
from it